Wind energy is among the world's fastest-growing and most commonly used sources of energy.From this part,wind energy's advantages like its low cost and being environmental will be explained in detail.
2.1 Affordable Energy
According to the U.S. Dept. of Energy, clean wind power costs $50 megawatt per hour.That means ,harnessing wind energy is very cheap as compared to the fossil fuels that have skyrocketing prices.To give an example,coal energy costs $104 and nuclear energy costs $107 megawatt per hour(U.S Department of Energy).So,wind energy has become affordable enough to compete with fossil fuels.If a household used wind power for %25 of its needs,it would spend only $5 dolars per month for it and the price is still dropping.(Renewables-Wind Energy). Furthermore,wind power has no fuel costs and negligible costs for maintenance.In wind energy,there is no fuel use like other energy sources,it is just using wind which is always available and costless.While other energy sources needs lots of money to maintain,wind energy is very economical.Building a nuclear plant or a watering dam may require a huge amount of money,but wind farms and wind turbines are inexpensive.Moreover,wind energy has no clean-up costs.So,there are no carbon tax or carbon cap and trade system which make carbon emissions more expensive like the other energy sources.To sum up,wind energy is quite affordable energy source with providing cost benefits.
2.2 Environmental
One of the best and most valuable advantages of wind energy is that it is totally pollution free.Compared to the environmental effects of traditional energy sources, the environmental effects of wind power are almost non existing.Firstly,wind energy does not produce waste products that require disposal or gas emissions which contribute to air pollution and global climate change. Besides naturally produced,CO2 is also produced when fossil fuels like coal and natural gas are burned to generate electricity.However,using wind to generate electricity reduces CO2 emissions. According to a report,wind energy saves about 122 million tons of CO2 every year(Global Wind Energy Council).As we use more and more of wind energy, less and less fossil fuels will be burnt. This,in effect,means less pollution. Wind energy also does not consume or pollute water.While other energy sources like hydroelectric energy that needs water to operate or nuclear energy which drops its waste into water,wind energy brings us healtier seas and lakes.Another environmental benefit of the wind energy is,it uses only a fraction of the land.So,existing land uses such as farming and grazing can continue unaffected. "Wind turbines can be built on farms or ranches, thus benefiting the economy in rural areas, where most of the best wind sites are found. Farmers and ranchers can continue to work the land because the wind turbines use only a fraction of the land," states the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (U. S. Department of Energy, April 2005).Having said these,it will not be wrong to say that wind energy provides electricity without harming the environment.
III.HYDROELECTRIC ENERGY
Hydroelectric energy is known for being widely used form of renewable energy which uses water to generate electrical power.Although it is believed that hydroelectic energy provides benefits,it also comes with the big disadvantages such as dam failures and relicensing.
3.1 Dam Failures
Because large conventional dammed-hydro facilities hold back large volumes of water, a failure due to poor construction, terrorism, or other cause can be catastrophic to downriver settlements and infrastructure.Also good design and construction are not an adequate guarantee of safety.Dam failures have been some of the largest man-made disasters in history.To give an example,the Banqiao Dam failure in Southern China directly resulted in the deaths of 26,000 people, and another 145,000 from epidemics(Application of the Method of Characteristics to the Dam Break Wave Problem,Chanson,H.,2009). Millions were left homeless. Also,the creation of a dam in a geologically inappropriate location may cause disasters such as 1963 disaster at Vajont Dam in Italy, where almost 2000 people died(The Vajont Dam Disaster,2006).In conclusion,when it comes to failure of a dam,hydroelectric energy can create an uncontrallable disaster.
3.2 Relicensing Complexity
Every 30 to 50 years,private hyrdoelectric dams are re-evaluated.In this step,relicensing is a very complex process.Relicensing was infrequent until 1993,but then The Hydropower Reform Coalition formed to take advantage to restore river ecosystems through the relicensing process(Renewables-Hydroelectric Energy).When making relicensing,not only the power generation of a dam is considered,but also protection of wildlife,equal reclamation to energy conversation and protection of the environmental quality.Taking everything into account,building a dam costs you a lot money and time,but relicensing may be take long enough to reactivate it.
IV.ADVANTAGES OF WIND ENERGY OVER HYDROELECTRIC ENERGY
After mentioning wind energy and hydroelectric energy,it is time to compare these two most commonly used energy sources.
4.1 Cost/Efficiency Rate
First of all,both energy sources have negligible cost when they are compared to other energy sources.For instance,wind energy costs only $5 dollars for a household every month and hydroelectric energy's cost of electricty is constant.But when they are compared in electricity produced,wind energy steps forward. Most modern turbines installed today are estimated to have a 20 year life during this time,major components have been designed to run 24 hours a day during this time period. In general, a single wind turbine will convert about 20 percent of the energy in wind to electricity. The most efficient production occurs between five and 20 miles an hour of wind speed.This means wind energy is more efficient than any other energy sources(AWEA).However,hydroelectric dams have a load capacity which means after a point,dam capacity is reached and it cannot hold more water to conversation.In short wind energy provides more electrical power with less cost than the hydroelectric energy.
4.2 Building Process
When building a new energy source,its building process is an important factor.A large fraction of land is required to maintain a water dam,and it cannot be always found easily.Hydroelectric dams should be established near water sources such as lakes or seas.It also requires lots of time to build it.It takes months or maybe years to establish just one hyrdoelectric dam.Also its licensing is a process which requires some time.On the other hand,wind turbines are so simple to build and they can be established nearly anywhere in the world,it just needs wind and it needs such a little time.As it is clear from the comparison,there is no doubt that the wind energy has no negative effects on budget and environment,in opposition to the bad effects of hydroelectric energy.
